Vejer de la Frontera

About this place

Vejer de la Frontera is a white hilltop town in the province of Cádiz in Andalusia, southern Spain, on the right bank of the river Barbate, about 42 km southeast of Cádiz and 42 km northwest of Tarifa in a straight line. The town sits on a low hill overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar, surrounded by orchards and orange groves. It was under Muslim rule from 711 until 1248, and the architecture of many of its houses still recalls that period. It is twinned with Chefchaouen in Morocco and Ostuni in Italy. Brilliant white houses pile up on the hilltop, with narrow sloping lanes, arches and old gates in the walls winding between them, and iron balconies and flowerpots on the walls. From the edges of town the view runs over green countryside to the sea and the strait on the horizon. Visitors wander the white lanes up to the old castle and the gates in the walls, and sit in the square decorated with palms and coloured tiles. Atlantic beaches lie close by, and evenings in town are quiet and lovely.